Tag: student retention

2019, Retention, Student Success

Institutional Change and Student Success Planning

By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute The challenge that many people have in improving student retention on campus is where and how to start. We have learned over many years that small, independent efforts on campus fail to move the needle, so to speak, on institutional retention, persistence, and graduation rates. They can help with very small pockets of students, but … Continue reading Institutional Change and Student Success Planning

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2018, Faculty, Retention, Student Success

Gaining Faculty Buy-In for Student Retention & Success

By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute Improving student persistence on campus is a primary objective for college and universities. What we clearly understand is that some students have more challenges than others with regard to degree completion, therefore, require more services and attention by faculty and staff. What we’ve learned over the years is that it truly does take a … Continue reading Gaining Faculty Buy-In for Student Retention & Success

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2018, College Affordability, Financial Aid, Retention, Student Success

The New Dropout Crisis? Not so New

By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute The New York Times David Leonhardt, one of the few journalists that I read on a daily basis, published an article this morning on the “new dropout crisis.” The crisis, in this case, is that the national college dropout rate has eclipsed the national high school dropout rate. While I am glad to see … Continue reading The New Dropout Crisis? Not so New

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2016, Research/Policy, Retention, Student Success

“Put a Glock to Their Heads”

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute “This is hard for you because you think of the students as cuddly bunnies, but you can’t. You just have to drown the bunnies. Put a Glock to their heads.”\   The above is a quote from former Mount St. Mary’s University President Simon Newman earlier this year. I say former, because the quote, in part, forced … Continue reading “Put a Glock to Their Heads”

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2016, College Affordability, Research/Policy, Retention, Student Success

So How Much Does Student Departure Cost Your Institution?

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute In 2013, state and federal governments spent approximately $150 billion on higher education. This includes funding for Pell Grants, state grants, research, and direct subsidies for students. To put this in some perspective, federal funding amounted to $227 per person in the US, and about double that if state funds are included. On the … Continue reading So How Much Does Student Departure Cost Your Institution?

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